M A M M A L I A — E L E P H A N T . 



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called tuda, were perched upoa the backs of the elephants ; these resemble 

 a thrush in shape and note, and were represented to me, as being extremely 

 useful to the elephant in picking off the vermin from those parts which, it is 

 not in his power to reach.* 



THE ASIATIC ELEPHANT. i 



In general, the elephants of Asia are of a larger size, and superior in 

 strength to those of Africa ; in particular, those of Ceylon, who exceed in 

 courage and sagacity all those of Asia. Probably they owe these qualifica- 

 tions to their education, more improved in Ceylon than any where else. 

 They differ also in other particulars, so as to constitute them a different 

 species. "His head," says Mr Bennett, "is more oblong, and his forehead 

 presents in the centre a deep concavity between two lateral and rounded 

 elevations; that of the African being round and convex in all its parts. 

 The teeth of the former are composed of transverse vertical laminae of equal 

 breadth, Avhile those of the latter form rhomboidal or lozenge shaped divi- 

 sions. The ears of the Asiatic are also smaller, and descend no lower than 

 his neck, and he exhibits four distinct toes on his hind feet. The African, 

 on the contrary, is furnished with ears of much greater size, descending to 

 his legs, and no more than three toes are visible on his posterior extremi- 

 ties." The individual, which is the subject of the wood cut, is believed to 

 be little more than three years old. 



The elephants of the Indies easily carry burdens of three or four thousand 

 weight ; the smallest, that is, those of Africa, lift up freely with their trunks 



' Elephas Itidicus, Cuv, 



